Some medical procedures are invasive and potentially dangerous although they are necessary life-saving procedures. Intubation, specifically tracheal intubation, is typically performed at various medical conditions, such as application of general anesthesia, comatose, etc. Tracheal intubation involves the placement or the insertion of an endotracheal tube (ETT) into a patient's trachea via the vocal cords to protect the patient's airway and provide a mechanism to enable ventilation. Delay and/or misplacement of the ETT, such as misplacement of the ETT into the esophagus, may cause permanent neurological damage or death. Malposition of the ETT also may jeopardize airway protection or cause inadequate ventilation. It is therefore imperative to intubate a patient quickly and position the ETT correctly when a medical condition arises.
Various technologies have been developed to assist the placement of the ETT into the trachea. In a laryngoscope technique, a laryngoscope is used to obtain a direct view of the glottis and the ETT is then inserted into the trachea under direct vision or indirect vision. A laryngoscope typically includes a blade that has various shapes and lengths and is made of rigid materials. In a direct laryngoscope, a light source is coupled to the guide blade to assist the view of the glottis. In a video laryngoscope, a video camera along with a light source is positioned on the guide blade to provide a video image to guide the insertion of the ETT. When intubating a patient with the laryngoscope technique, a user typically inserts the guide blade into a patient's mouth with one hand, and inserts the ETT into the trachea with another hand once the trachea is identified. Successful intubation is defined as a successful ETT insertion into the patient's trachea.
Intubation may not be successful due to various reasons. Failed intubation with a direct laryngoscope may occur due to poor visualization and identification of the glottis or vocal cords, a situation called “can't see and can't intubate.” Failed intubation with a video laryngoscope may occur due to a poor visualization or poor angle for the ETT insertion as a result of indirect video image of the vocal cords. A situation called “can see but can't intubat” is common. Further, all current intubation is performed by two hands (i.e., one hand holding the guide blade and another hand inserting the ETT), the ETT may not be inserted correctly due to poor visual-hand coordination during the insertion of the ETT. Furthermore, there are clinical situations that can make both visualization of the vocal cords and correct identification impossible with either direct laryngoscope or video laryngoscope, such as intubation for the patients with a limited mouth opening, short or limited neck motion or neck pathologies, pregnancy and obesity, etc.